What does containment mean?
Definitions for containment
kənˈteɪn məntcon·tain·ment
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word containment.
Princeton's WordNet
containmentnoun
a policy of creating strategic alliances in order to check the expansion of a hostile power or ideology or to force it to negotiate peacefully
"containment of communist expansion was a central principle of United States' foreign policy from 1947 to the 1975"
containmentnoun
(physics) a system designed to prevent the accidental release of radioactive material from a reactor
containmentnoun
the act of containing; keeping something from spreading
"the containment of the AIDS epidemic"; "the containment of the rebellion"
GCIDE
Containmentnoun
the act of containing.
Containmentnoun
(Diplomacy) the act or policy of restricting the influence or territorial growth of a hostile nation. The policy of containment is employed when the defeat of a hostile nation or overthrow of its government is considered impractical or too costly.
Containmentnoun
the act of restricting some deleterious substance within a confined space, especially when such material is released unintentionally or by accident; as, containment of nuclear waste; containment of an oil spill. Also used attributively, as a containment boom.
Containmentnoun
a structure surrounding a nuclear power plant designed to prevent release of radioactive materials into the environment in the event of an accident.
Wiktionary
containmentnoun
the act of containing or something contained
containmentnoun
a policy of checking the expansion of a hostile foreign power by creating alliances with other states; especially the foreign policy strategy of the United States in the early years of the Cold War
containmentnoun
a physical system designed to prevent the accidental release of radioactive or other dangerous materials from a nuclear reactor or industrial plant.
containmentnoun
an inclusion
Wikipedia
Containment
Containment was a geopolitical strategic foreign policy pursued by the United States during the Cold War to prevent the spread of communism after the end of World War II. The name was loosely related to the term cordon sanitaire, which was containment of the Soviet Union in the interwar period. As a component of the Cold War, this policy caused a response from the Soviet Union to increase communist influence in Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Containment represented a middle-ground position between détente (relaxation of relations) and rollback (actively replacing a regime). The basis of the doctrine was articulated in a 1946 cable by U.S. diplomat George F. Kennan during the post-World War II term of U.S. President Harry S. Truman. As a description of U.S. foreign policy, the word originated in a report Kennan submitted to US Defense Secretary James Forrestal in 1947, which was later used in a magazine article.
ChatGPT
containment
Containment generally refers to the action of preventing something harmful from spreading or limiting it to a certain area. It can also refer to the policy or strategy of preventing the expansion or influence of a hostile group or ideology. The term can be used in various fields such as politics, public health, environment, and technology.
Webster Dictionary
Containmentnoun
that which is contained; the extent; the substance
Wikidata
Containment
Containment was a United States policy to prevent the spread of communism abroad. A component of the Cold War, this policy was a response to a series of moves by the Soviet Union to enlarge communist influence in Eastern Europe, China, Korea, Africa, and Vietnam. It represented a middle-ground position between appeasement and rollback. The basis of the doctrine was articulated in a 1946 cable by U.S. diplomat George F. Kennan. As a description of U.S. foreign policy, the word originated in a report Kennan submitted to U.S. Defense Secretary James Forrestal in 1947, a report that was later used in a magazine article. It is a translation of the French cordon sanitaire, used to describe Western policy toward the Soviet Union in the 1920s. The word containment is associated most strongly with the policies of U.S. President Harry Truman, including the establishment of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a mutual defense pact. Although President Dwight Eisenhower toyed with the rival doctrine of rollback, he refused to intervene in the Hungarian Uprising of 1956. President Lyndon Johnson cited containment as a justification for his policies in Vietnam. President Richard Nixon, working with advisor Henry Kissinger, followed a policy called détente, or relaxation of tensions. This involved expanded trade and cultural contacts, as well as the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks.
Usage in printed sourcesFrom:
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Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of containment in Chaldean Numerology is: 8
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of containment in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2
Examples of containment in a Sentence
We have enacted the most aggressive containment measures in the history of our country.
Containment and suppression will not make America great, and the US will not stop the rejuvenation of China.
It was containment, the police cut off traffic out of Koreatown, while we were trapped on the other side without help. Those roads are a gateway to a richer neighborhood. It can't be denied.
Recovery momentum should gather pace from the second quarter onwards, led by strong export prospects as global growth and 5G deployment pick up speed, a vaccine rollout around February should also stimulate domestic demand, as it would reduce the need for stringent containment measures.
The authorities have been working overtime to put down a containment area and they were here last night ready to defend us, but there wasn't a lot of fire really, anyone who needed to had retreated. I'm not surprised, last weekend was intense.
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Translations for containment
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
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"containment." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 12 Feb. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/containment>.
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